


Reciprocation

by Dusklatte



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: An alternative s support for byleth and claude??? idk, Camping, Claude's wyvern is judging Claude greatly, F/M, I'm taking the bylaude s support ending and throwing it to the wind they need to be together-, Like literally a few hours post gd route, Post-Golden Deer Route (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Sexual Content, So this was a oneshot but I decided to continue it, Unreciprocated feelings which are actually very much reciprocated, i just wanted to cheer myself up with my fave 3h couple fucking-, this is just some self-indulgent smut okay?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-23
Updated: 2019-11-30
Packaged: 2020-10-27 00:41:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20751473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dusklatte/pseuds/Dusklatte
Summary: Byleth had been doing her best to get to grasps with her emotions, in particular the ones she feels around Claude.One emotion she was growing familiar to was heartache, every time he called her his friend.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is purely just Byleth and Claude smut because I'm dreading this week of work and I'm trying to avoid having a meltdown, just the usual ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Byleth longed to keep hold of the warmth of his hand. It had been a mutual gesture, as a thanks to one-another for their help in ending the war and being triumphant over this final battle. But for some reason, she didn’t want it to end.

No… She did want it to end.

End with their hands adjusting so that their fingers were entwined like a link in a chain – secure and near impossible to part.

Unfortunately, her desires couldn’t be fulfilled. Not here, not now. They were simply shaking hands. And he was injured – his wounds needed tending to, sooner rather than later.

“Byleth… You’re incredible, my friend.” Her mint eyes shifted up to his green ones, and a saddened smile formed on her face. This was not a self-deprecating smile though, it was her way of knowing that his words were true.

_She would never be anything more than Claude’s ‘Teach’ and ‘Friend’._

She felt bad wishing for there to be something more… Something which she had only ever witnessed between others, but never for herself. She had read it in her father’s diary, in the way in which he spoke about her mother. She had witnessed it between many of her students-turned-allies too… Take Marianne and Lorenz, for example. Even Hilda and Raphael.

But this… this would be something she felt that she could never obtain.

_What is love to one known as a demon, after all?_

“Hey… Is something bothering you?” By this point, her hand had parted from Claude’s, as the healers from their army had approached the pair with the intention of tending to their injuries. Byleth had been fine, but Claude had taken quite the beating from the time that Nemesis had slammed him down into the ground just after he had launched the arrow which helped to win the battle. “How about we talk once we’ve returned to Garreg Mach?”

“I… Okay… We’ll talk there...”

“Good… It’s not a great idea to keep things- Ah! Careful!” Claude cut himself off from speaking through shouting in pain, as one of the healers had tried to look at the deep gash running down his arm but had accidentally touched it a bit roughly.

Byleth took that moment where Claude was mumbling at the healers to make her presence scarce. These new yet nagging emotions were gnawing away at her mind, and she needed to find somewhere quiet to release the build up of frustration in her body.

* * *

* * *

Despite the fact that Garreg Mach was visible from the battlefield where Nemesis had been defeated for the second (and hopefully last) time, the journey back had felt long for Byleth. She had but two thoughts in her head – one was that everything was finally over… The war had been ended, Those Who Slither In The Dark had been defeated, and Nemesis was nothing but a pile of dust. Everything which she had known over the past few months would be coming to an end.

Her second thought was much more troubling to her.

_Why does she, as someone still new to the emotions she is experiencing, love Claude? And the love also hurt, as Claude didn’t reciprocate the feelings. She was nothing but a friend to him. He made that more than clear._

As she approached the monastery, she began to feel her eyes welling up. She did her best to wipe away the tears which were clouding her vision, but it was in vain as the tears formed faster than she could remove them.

Once within the familiar walls, the emotions became too strong and far too draining. She ran to her room as fast as she could, even if she felt rude by ignoring the greetings of the people there. In particular, she felt bad for the gatekeeper – she always made a point of trying to strike a conversation with him, due to the arduous nature of keeping Garreg Mach safe from potential threats by the gate.

Within her room, she trudged over to her bed and fell down beside it, her head buried in the crisp, cold sheets, and fingers digging into the material as though her life depended on it.

Byleth certainly enjoyed having emotions, but not to the point that it made her entire body ache as it was.

* * *

* * *

“Has anyone seen Byleth?” When the majority of the army had returned to Garreg Mach, Claude had ended up on a one-man mission to find Byleth. Everyone else was reuniting with their friends and loved ones, but Claude knew that Byleth didn’t. Couldn’t. Her only family members – aside from the Golden Deer family, obviously – were resting in a grave.

He was feeling restless, and couldn’t stop hunting for Byleth until he found her. Not even rest, or the feast which was now in preparation, could stop him from searching high and low.

Nobody had returned to the monastery with her, so he couldn’t ask anyone from the army. She had apparently been moving too quickly for others to see where she was going.

Fortunately, Claude received the answers he was hunting for in the form of the reliable gatekeeper.

“Greetings, Claude! I heard that you have been looking for the Professor?”

Claude had been caught by surprise by the gatekeeper’s voice, but it took only a moment to calm down. “Yes, I have… I need to speak with her. I assume you’ve seen her, or know where she was going?”

“She was heading towards the dormitories! She was crying, however...”

_Byleth? Crying? That wasn’t like her… She had only ever cried when Jeralt was murdered…_

He gave his thanks to the gatekeeper, before making a beeline towards the first floor bedrooms.

As he had been told, he reached Byleth’s room and found the door closed. There were quiet noises coming from inside, so he took a deep breath and tapped lightly against the wood.

“Byleth… Are you okay? I’ve been looking everywhere for you...”

For a short moment, there was silence. Then there was a quiet shuffling noise, before the clicking of the door being unlocked. It creaked open slightly, which he took as permission to enter the room. As soon as he stepped in, he realised that Byleth was stood with her back facing him.

Gently, his hand rested on her shoulder, which slowly dropped at his touch. “Byleth… How are you feeling? I… I noticed that you appeared quite sad when we defeated Nemesis, and apparently you were crying when you returned...” He did his best not to make it sound as though he was interrogating her, given her current state. “Byleth… You are my dearest friend, and it hurts seeing someone as strong as you so upset...”

Byleth took a deep breath, and her hands were trembling. “Emotions are hard… You’ve had them for all of your life – you’re _used _to them… I’m still trying to understand it all.”

“And that’s okay, Byleth,” Claude stated, walking around her so that he could look her in the eyes. “They’re strange and unpredictable, emotions. I get that completely. I may have had them all of my life, but there are times where even I don’t know what they are doing.” He took a step closer, and rested his other hand on her free shoulder. “If there is anything bothering you about what you’re feeling – anything at all – you know that you can come to me, right? Any of the Golden Deer, actually. We’re all there for you.”

Byleth slowly blinked, before using one of her hands to rub her red, puffy eyes. “My emotions are always unpredictable when you’re near me.”

“When… I’m near you?” Claude seemed a bit taken aback by what she said, and tried to press on. “Why? How do you feel?”

There was an awkward silence for a few moments. Byleth hadn’t expected him to question about what she had been feeling. Now embarrassment had been added to the concoction of emotions. “Um… When we shook hands after the battle before, and when you called me amazing… I didn’t want you to let go. I felt- I felt like I finally belonged somewhere. But when you then called me your friend… It felt heavy. Painful. My heart ached.” She then took a deep breath, and diverted her eyes so that she was looking at anything but him. A difficult task, considering that he towered over her.

Claude seemed surprised at her words, so he gently moved his hands from her shoulders to behind her back. His embrace was soft, and weak enough for her to break out of if she wished for him to let go. “That reminds me of something I have read, you know...” He whispered, a faint smile on his face as he closed his eyes. “A certain blade-breaker said similar things in a variety of diary entries describing his wife. Not about the heartache, but certainly about the feeling of belonging. How poetic, it must run though your family...”

“But my mother reciprocated the feelings...” She took a deep breath, and pushed Claude away. “I’m just your friend. It’s stupid to get upset over, I know, but… I hate that I feel this way about you and that I won’t be able to have the feelings-!”

Claude sighed, and cupped her cheeks. “Byleth. What makes you so sure about not having the feelings returned?”

“Because you always call me your friend.”

Claude was silent for a moment, and a caring smile formed on his face. “Then what would you like me to call you?” She was taken aback by his question, and her face appeared somewhat flushed.

It took a moment, but Byleth eventually whispered her answer. “Yours...” Her voice seemed determined, but her body language was hesitant. Like she wanted to say and do more, but she was trying to hold back. “I want you to call me yours.”

“I can oblige that request. Certainly saves me time in asking whether you can be mine.” Claude then pulled Byleth into another hug, his grasp of her tighter than it had been previously. “My Byleth… My dearest Byleth… I’m sorry that I didn’t notice how you were feeling earlier… I’ve felt similar since I was your student, but resigned myself to fate seeming to intervene any time which I wanted to say how I felt.”

For what was the first time in many moons, Claude watched as Byleth finally relaxed. Her usually stiff and tense muscles came loose in his arms, and the soft sigh which escaped her lips was awfully cute. Afterwards, her head rested against his chest. “Emotions are cruel.”

“Indeed they are...”

Only the Goddess herself knew just how long the pair remained in their embrace, which was only broken when Claude needed to stretch his arm which had been healed following the previous battle. Once he had done that, he gave her a cheeky smile. “Say… Has there been anything more which you have been feeling about me? Just out of curiosity’s sake. I’ll let you know some of the things I’ve been feeling about you, if you do,” he stated, before sitting down on her bed and patting beside him. “For example… At night, I feel lonely. I’m desperate for you to be at my side. I want to hold you and feel every inch of you, but… I can’t. Or rather, I couldn’t.”

She joined him on the bed, and carefully, she began to remove the beaten armour from her body. “My door is always open at night… especially to you,” she whispered, placing the armour down by the foot of the bed. It was only after she had spoken, and heard Claude chuckle that she realised the implications of what she had just said.

_And she wasn’t going to take it back. _

“Hmm, I’d much prefer it if it was open to only me.”

“Do you now?” By this point, the previously tense atmosphere had subsided, and was now more playful than anything. Byleth had a wide smile on her face as she went over to the door and locked it. “Well, now it’s locked for everyone. What are you going to do about that?”

Claude rose to his feet, a devious look forming on his face. “Well, maybe I can make true of calling you mine...” Byleth barely had a chance to react when Claude then captured her lips with his, his hands at either side of her head against the door. “My Byleth...”

It took her a moment to comprehend the situation, before she responded in turn with a kiss of her own. “My Claude.”

Neither of them were sure when it happened, but they eventually shed Claude of his own armour, and both of them of their excess clothing. They had been far too fixated on sharing short yet passionate kisses with one another to care.

A shiver went down Byleth’s spine after a while, when she was only wearing her cropped blouse, shorts, stocking and boots. The feeling was intensified when Claude’s fingers, calloused from his many years of drawing a bow, stroked against the bare skin of her back. She gave off a breathy sigh in response.

With a mischievous smile on his face, his hands slowly trailed down to her thighs and pulled them up to wrap around his waist. “Byleth...” His voice was deep and hushed as he leaned into her ear. “I’ve waited so long for this opportunity… But please, if you ever want me to stop-”

“I’ve spent far too long thinking you’ve been out of reach, Claude… But now that you’re in my grasp? I don’t want this to stop.”

Claude seemed to be highly satisfied with her response based on the way in which he tightened his grasp of her legs, and pulled her away from the door. They eventually ended up on the bed once more, with Byleth pressed down against the sheets as Claude continued pressing kisses to her face.

Quickly, his kisses started to venture downwards. He didn’t care that there was dirt covering her body as a result of the battle earlier that day – he was just as filthy, after all. Time for bathing could come later. They’ll need it before they attend the feast, after all.

He found out that he enjoyed kissing and biting at her collarbone as he continued downwards. It felt almost forbidden – she would typically wear a collar there, but now that her skin was exposed? It was exciting. He also liked gently moving her blouse upwards, before hastily tossing it across the room once he had removed it. It just provided him with even more forbidden places to savour.

“Hah...” Byleth’s breathy sigh as he pressed his lips against her supple flesh was enough encouragement for him to continue. She liked it. She wanted more. She craved his lips against her skin. “More...”

Her words had been the push for him to press a kiss against her bare nipple, before his normally silver tongue began to work its magic. He would teasingly run his tongue across every part of skin he could reach, including – no, _especially – _where faint scars leaving indents in her skin so close to those once forbidden areas lay.

Once Byleth started to whimper, and her back started to arch at his touch, Claude decided to move his lips downward.

She quickly stopped him. “Keep your lips where they were… I don’t want them anywhere else, other than against my mouth...”

Claude smirked, before his hands grew to rest on her shoulders. “Fine… So if I can’t kiss you elsewhere… Can I try something different?”

“Depends on how different.”

“How about I show you?” Claude then pressed a quick kiss to her lips, before using all of his strength to turn her body over. She was caught by surprise by that action, even more-so by the fact that his arms snaked around her torso so that she couldn’t turn back, and kept her back pressed against his chest. “You know that I mentioned that I always longed for you to be by my side at night? Well… this is how I envisioned it in my mind...”

Slowly, one of his hands ventured upwards, taking its time as it fondled with the breast he had previously neglected. His lips situated themselves against the side of her throat and her jaw. His other hand remained on her stomach… for now.

Byleth let off a quiet moan at the change in situation, and the slight feeling of vulnerability she was experiencing as Claude held her from behind. She had always been in control of her situation – except for a certain two dark times in her life back when she was a professor, which she refused to think of given her current circumstances – but she… felt that she could allow Claude to control her. For now, anyway.

She had been so distracted by the assault on her nerves on the upper half of her body, she had never noticed Claude’s intention for elsewhere. His previously still hand moved downwards, and managed to ease itself past the top of her shorts. She was wet already, and he quite liked the feeling. Especially when he pressed a finger against the wetness, making her breath hitch when she realised what he was doing. “Tell me, my Byleth… How are your emotions right now? Are they clearer than before, or even more conflicted?”

“I...” Before she could say anything more than that lone word, his fingers pinched against her breast, and his other hand tugged at her damp underwear to move it out of the way. “Ah, fuck...”

_Even when she was saying such obscenities, the softness and desire within her voice said more than enough._

Eventually, his lower down touches got much more, and closer to her aching core. She… liked it. Craved it. Made her whimper for more. Without realising it, she pressed her backside against his crotch as he loomed over her, drawing out a groan of his own.

Knowing that if she took another action like that, he wouldn’t be able to hold back any further, he withdrew his hands from her body, and hastily removed his remaining clothes from his torso. He could at least try to remove some of the burning tension from lower down by feeling his skin against hers.

“Claude… You stopped...” Byleth’s breathing was loud and heavy as she turned her head back to look at him, the redness on her face now more than evident to him. “Come back...”

“I will, just… Just give me a second.”

Once he had taken a deep breath, he resumed his previous actions. His hand felt surprisingly comfortable under her shorts, so he made a point of teasing her as much as he could without removing them.

She gasped loudly when his fingers finally bypassed her underwear, and slowly trailed against her heated flesh. “Ngh...” His slim fingers trailed back and forth, spreading the wetness around in an almost reckless manner, before her moans became desperate whimpers. “You’re teasing me like this… But you make it so much harder when I can feel more than your fingers against me…”

_He had… been rather distracted with his desire to touch and play with her, he had forgotten about his own arousal._

“Well, at least you get to know how much of an impression you’ve made on me.”

Byleth huffed, before a sudden gasp escaped her lips as he continued to trace feather-light patterns against her slit. “But what sort of impression would it be if you can’t _show _me?”

Her words had been enough of a push to cloud over his mind with desire. She wanted him to show her how we was feeling? Oh, he’s show her, alright.

“Ah, such a tease, my darling Byleth… But seeming as you requested this, I’ll demonstrate how much of an influence you’ve been.”

Despite the fact that his words were dripping with lust, his actions were much gentler. He pulled his hand out of her shorts, and slowly eased them down along with the other material barriers which were in the way on her body. He pulled his own trousers down too, knowing that there was no going back from this…

Realisation also hit the pair like a sack of bricks too. To Byleth, she was going to be sleeping with her former star student, turned leader of the Alliance. To Claude, he was about to take the woman he had dreamed about for over five years… his former teach, turned trusted ally, who was blessed by the Goddess of Fódlan.

Carefully, Claude leaned forward, and laced his fingers between hers as he pressed soft kisses to her cheek. “Byleth...” He hummed for a moment, the vibrations from his throat sending delightful shivers down her spine. “I love you.” He lined his hardened cock against her entrance as best as he could, given that his hands were currently… occupied.

“I love you too, Claude...”

_To think – the moment where their bodies had joined as one, it had been the first time either of them simply said those three words to the other. _

_They were in love._

_It was clear now that their feelings were reciprocated._

His first thrust into her had been slow and gentle – he wanted to take in everything that he could about her body in this moment. He watched as small beads of sweat coated her skin, her chest erratically shifting every time she took a breath.

He already knew that he wouldn’t last long inside her – everything about this situation was all that he had ever wanted and more.

Slowly, they entered a rhythm. Their hips would carefully meet, and they would share small gestures of affection, whether that be a quick kiss or a light squeezing of fingers. It was calm and loving – everything either of them could wish for.

Byleth loved the small grunts and gasps which Claude would make every time he pushed into her – she had heard similar noises when he exerted himself on the battlefield, but these noises were special… noises only she could hear. What she loved more though… was when one of his hands untangled from hers, and lightly came to rest on her stomach. There was something so sweet about the tender way in which he was dealing with her, and… she enjoyed it.

Soon enough, Byleth’s body felt like it was coiling up like a spring, before it came loose. Her previous strength failed her, and she wanted to just crash down onto the bedsheets below them. It seemed that Claude felt similar, as following a few rough and unstable thrusts, his own body seemed to cave in.

Both Claude and Byleth were panting as they separated, and fell down beside one another on the sheets. Neither of them had done anything like that before… But they both felt that they would be doing that again.

Claude’s hand tenderly took hold of hers as he pulled himself onto his side, a tired grin forming on his face. “I think I know how you have been feeling, now… We’ve both been feeling the same.”

Byleth slowly nodded, before shifting herself closer to him and pressing her head against his chest. “I agree…”

“I don’t think I’ll be able to go anywhere without you by my side now...” He pressed a kiss to to top of her head. “Wherever we go… we’ll go together. No more conflicting feelings… Just us.”


	2. Last moments together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Though they had only just confessed their shared feelings a mere few hours earlier, Claude feels horrible having to break Byleth's heart so soon after. He needs to leave, and Almyra can't wait for his return forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this was originally a oneshot but trust me to, weeks after it was posted, to get ideas on how to continue it.

After many hours of celebrations and feasting, Garreg Mach was starting to calm down. People were retiring for the night, and the dining hall staff were beginning to clear up the leftovers so that they could be given to the homeless and needy the next day. The only two left behind were Claude and Byleth, who decided to take a small stroll around the monastery, hand-in-hand.

“The stars are beautiful tonight... It is quite the shame that the brightest star is missing though.” Claude had a wide smile on his face as he looked up, before his eyes shifted over to Byleth. She was well aware that he was going to pull some form of cheesy line such as ‘you are that brightest star’, or even more likely, that he was the brightest star which she stole for herself. As such, she gave him a playful nudge in the arm.

“But what I'm most happy about is that you’re here with me... I don’t know whether I would even be alive now, if not for you, my dearest Byleth.”

“I suppose it is fortunate that I had a nagging goddess in my head to wake me up on the day of the Millennium festival then... I may still be asleep at the bottom of that cliff now, if she hadn’t nagged at me.”

“Really? That’s how you woke up when you did?” Claude raised an eyebrow, before wrapping his arm over her shoulders. He wanted to make the most of every moment he had with her, as he would be leaving Garreg Mach in a mere few hours. “Well, having known you for as long as I have, and being aware of the circumstances behind your hair turning green... I can imagine that actually happening to you.”

“You'll be surprised...”

The pair laughed, before they realised where they had ended up. They were outside Byleth’s room, where less than six hours ago, they had slept together for the first time.

_And what Claude felt would be the only time for quite a while now._

Byleth eventually broke the silence as she was looking at the ground. “Are you, um... Going to join me in here tonight, or go to your own room...?”

“I'd love to join you...”

_He felt obliged to. Especially with the pain he was going to cause her when she wakes up in the morning all alone. She had only just told him that she felt that she finally belonged somewhere when with him, and leaving her alone as he was going to would... it would honestly break her heart. _

Once inside, Byleth sighed quietly as she locked the door, before shedding her coat off her shoulders. He did similar, just with some of the excess material and accessories which adorned his outfit.

_He had to be ready to leave once she fell asleep after all._

“Want some tea, Claude? I think I might have some Almyran Pine Needle tea stashed away in here somewhere...”

Surprisingly to Byleth, Claude shook his head as he sat down on her bed and smiled at her, holding out his hand. “We did drink quite a lot at the celebrations, any more and I think we would burst. That wouldn’t be good, would it?” She laughed quietly, and took his hand – hers were tiny compared to his – before she got pulled into his warmth.

There was something about feeling the movement of his chest as his heart beat and a deep laugh came from him that brought her comfort. She nestled into his chest further, and a quiet yawn escaped her. It didn’t go unmissed, so Claude tightened his grasp of her and slowly lay down.

After a few moments, he removed one of his arms from her to reach for the thin blankets which were still in a state from their previous activities, before pulling them over their bodies for some warmth.

“Claude…?”

“Yeah?”

“I… like this. I would happily live out my life if I could go to sleep like this, in your arms, and wake up like this in the morning… I could be doing anything with myself, but if I can have just this...”

A half-hearted smile formed on Claude’s face as he then pressed a kiss to her forehead, and rested his chin on the top of her head so that she couldn’t see the sadness which was filling him. Every word which she said, every small yet endearing action she carried out… it made it harder for him to do what he needed to do, and leave…

_He had to leave though. There was no question about it… He was nobility of Fódlan, but also a prince of Almyra. He had spent almost a decade in Fódlan now, and when he went to his other homeland to seek help of Almyran forces at the battle at Fort Merceus, his parents had told him he must return once the war in Fódlan was over. He was soon to take the throne, after all._

“You’ll be here when the run rises, won’t you?”

“Of course I will, Byleth...”

Two hours passed, and it was now dark. All lights around Garreg Mach had gone out aside from the dim lights of those who took the post-war celebrations elsewhere. But what saddened Claude the most was that Byleth was now asleep, her light breathing and relaxed muscles being a sure sign that she would not be woken easily.

As quietly as he could, Claude leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Byleth’s lips before slipping out of the bed. He wouldn’t be cruel enough to abandon her without letting her know why he had to leave, so he struck a match to light a candle, and used some of her spare stationary to write her a note.

_My Byleth,_

_I’m so sorry that I didn’t keep my promise, and was there beside you at sunrise. I would love if I could just remain with you, as you had mentioned earlier. I would love nothing more._

_But though the war in Fódlan is over, I have other duties which I need to attend to. I don’t think I mentioned it to you, but I may as well let you know here. I _ _am actually quite important in Almyra, and I’ve been ordered to return once everything here was dealt with. _

_One day I’ll return. I promise you, I will. And my first priority will be to find you. Just don’t go falling into any more five year naps again! I’ll even leave something precious of mine with you so that you remember me._

_Love you to the stars and back,_

_Your beloved Claude von Riegan_

Once his note was written, and placed carefully beside her bed, Claude then sighed as he looked at the golden ring adorned with green crystals from Almyra. Had he not needed to return to his other homeland, then perhaps he would have given her that ring earlier. Perhaps he could have given it to her at the celebrations from the evening just gone, or somewhere quieter yet much more romantic, such as the Goddess Tower. And he would have almost certainly given it to her as part of a proposal.

But unfortunately, things had worked out in a way in which that would be impossible.

Silently he placed the ring down on the paper, and retrieved the parts of his outfit which he had removed earlier, when lying down with Byleth.

With that done, all that Claude could do was press a gentle kiss to her lips before slipping away in the dead of night.

* * *

* * *

Byleth had woken up as a chill spread through her body. She had fallen asleep feeling warm and comfortable, now she felt cold and… alone. It didn’t take much for her to realise that Claude was no longer at her side.

“He must have gone… to the bathroom maybe… We did drink a lot earlier...” She sat up, and stretched her arms as she muttered to herself. Tiredly, she remained sat on her bed, waiting for Claude to return so that they could go to sleep once more. Her eyes would dart over to the door at even the slightest noise, but was usually nothing.

Five minutes passed, and eventually, she began to realise that something wasn’t right. Claude would normally indicate to her when he would leave to go somewhere, so the current silence became unnerving particularly quickly.

_Now was one of those moments where Byleth hated all these new emotions which she felt._

With a groan, she rubbed at her eyes and pulled herself out of bed, ready to go and look to see where Claude had gone. She made her was over to her desk, and used a bit of magic to light the candle which was there.

A deep frown formed on her face when she realised that the candle had been recently lit, based on the pool of melted wax which was still warm near its base. She then carefully picked it up, and looked around the room to see if anything else was unusual.

There was a wet patch of ink on her desk too. Some of her paper had been rummaged through. That in combination with the candle wax indicated that Claude had perhaps been writing something. Meaning that there was possibly a note somewhere.

She looked back at her bed then, wondering whether Claude had been writing a note for her. And… Then she saw the paper next to her bed which she hadn’t noticed earlier.

In addition to her frown, her brow furrowed as she went over to it and picked it up, just for there to be a light thud on the floor, and a golden glint coming off something reflecting the candle’s flame. She sighed when she realised that it was a ring, wondering if Claude was just trying to carry out some form of eccentric proposal after their earlier confessions, which would lead to him bursting through the door in fits of laughter at the concerned look on her face.

When she read the note though… she realised that was far from the case.

In a panic, she grabbed hold of her coat from where it had fallen on the floor earlier, before reaching for the Sword of the Creator as she pocketed the note and the ring. The ink on her desk was still wet, and normally, it would dry quite quickly.

_That meant that Claude hadn’t been gone for long._

With a huff, she threw her door open, and ran as fast as she could to one of two places where Claude would likely have gone if he intended to leave – the stables. He wouldn’t dare to leave his wyvern behind, after all.

* * *

* * *

“You like flying at night, don’t you…? The stars are great for navigation, and you know I like the stars...” Claude smiled sadly as he ran his hands over his wyvern’s wings, making sure that there was nothing wrong with her before they left for Almyra. “I always wanted to take Byleth flying at night too, I’d love to be able to stargaze with her...”

His wyvern chirped loudly, before he pressed a finger to his lips. “Shh… We can’t be waking anyone up, can we?” Once more, his wyvern made the sound, albeit quieter than previously. “That’s more like it...”

With a half-hearted laugh, he then pulled out an apple and offered it to his steed. “That’s the last bit of fruit from Fódlan you’re going to have for a while, we’ll be back in Almyra soon.” He stopped speaking when his wyvern hesitated, before cheerfully swallowing the fruit in one go. “You like to eat the grapes there, don’t you?”

Then the wyvern made the same loud noises again.

“Hey, what’s the matter with you…?”

He stroked his wyvern for a moment, before straightening his back, and feeling something awfully cold pressing against the back of his neck. He panicked, and turned around quickly and was met with familiar mint-green eyes.

“I could be asking the same of you, Claude. You didn’t think you could leave me behind so easily, did you?”


	3. Not without you.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claude doesn't know what to do after being caught trying to slip out of Garreg Mach in the dead of night.
> 
> Flayn recounts the conversations from breakfast that day to Seteth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a somewhat short chapter compared to the others, but it's kinda just bridging the gaps between what has happened and what is going to be happening after this chapter...

“Byleth, I-!” Claude was stunned at the sight of Byleth stood there, her jaw tensing slightly as he tried to find his words. “I honestly didn't-!”

After a moment, Byleth loosened her jaw and laughed quietly. “You aren’t in trouble, I'm just saying that you’re not going to be escaping me so easily.” She extended her hand out to the excitable wyvern who had made a beeline for her side. “And I think this one was dropping hints that she doesn’t want you to leave me here either.”

“It’s not that I wanted to leave you here, I have to go...”

“I am perfectly aware of that Claude. But if the situation was reversed... If I were with you in Almyra after going through thick and thin, before I left in the dead of night saying that I had to return to Fódlan, what would you do?”

“I would chase you down and go with you...” He sighed, before laughing half-heartedly as he shook his head. “I see what you’re getting at. It may not have been my best judgement, but...”

Byleth sighed after Claude trailed off, before folding her arms and closing her eyes. “The crown prince of Almyra being seen with a lowly mercenary-turned-professor from Fódlan wouldn’t fare well for either of us?” She didn’t even have to look at him to see the look of surprise and horror on his face. “Let’s just say you’re not the only one who does their research on people. I… I actually discovered who you were when I was still your professor…”

Claude tilted his head back then, a cold puff of air escaping his mouth when his hand moved to rest on his hip. Then came a quiet, awkward laugh. “Don’t go doing a Hubert or Dedue on me now, okay? I was quite relieved to not hear ‘_your highness’ _this, ‘_your highness’ _that when I came to Fódlan… Not that it happens too often back at home...” His hands visibly tensed up when he mentioned ‘home’, before he sighed.

“Do you really have to go to Almyra now? Leave at this very moment?”

“I’m needed… I can’t put it off any more.”

“Then allow me to go with you. Claude. I know that you thought you were doing what was best for Fódlan, and what’s best for me, by leaving in the dead of night… But I do not want what will be thrust upon me come the morning. I can’t be left responsible for a Church, and a country which is still high in tensions caused by war… I can lead small groups of people, but not all of this. Not on my own...” She then bit her lip, knowing what Claude would likely say next. “Not without you. I know I would have the support from Seteth with the Church, and no doubt the other Golden Deer will help with the country, but… I can’t do it without you.”

  
  


* * *

* * *

  
  


“It was awfully quiet in the dining hall this morning, brother...” Flayn had decided to join Seteth in his office after eating breakfast and helping to tidy up following the previous night’s celebrations. “Both Claude and the Prof- ah, Byleth did not attend breakfast, despite everyone wishing to thank them for their hard work in leading us to victory...”

Seteth sighed, having remembered the sheer amount the two had drank the night before. Byleth was known to hold her alcohol well, like her father, but he was unsure about Claude. He decided that Claude was likely hung over and she was keeping an eye on him. “I do not care what they were doing last night or this morning, so long as they remember that they need to meet with me at noon to discuss leadership of both the Church and Fódlan.”

“Hilda claimed that she saw both of them go to Byleth’s room last night... She made a very particularly worded suggestion about why that was.”

“_Flayn...”_

“She said that they were ‘fu-!” Without hesitation, Seteth had covered Flayn's mouth, now wanting to hear his precious daughter say such a vulgar word.

“Do not listen to Hilda's gossip, Flayn. Especially with those sorts of matters, they can potentially ruin people’s lives and reputations. Now, why don’t you find something to occupy yourself whilst I wait for Claude and Byleth to-"

Seteth had to hold back a loud groan as his office door flew open. The former Golden Deer students _really _needed a lesson on door-knocking. However... he hadn’t expected for it to be Lysithea and Ignatz to be the ones doing the barging in.

Lysithea raked a hand through her hair, exasperation coating her face as she glanced around the room. “Please say that the Professor and Claude are here...”

Seteth raised an eyebrow, an action which Ignatz noticed, so he started to explain the situation. “I don’t know if Flayn told you, but the Professor and Claude weren’t present at breakfast, and we all put it down to either oversleeping or a hangover... But Marianne went to the stables to feed Dorte as well as yours, Claude’s, and Cyril's wyverns... but Claude’s wyvern was also absent. We are trying to find them but we’re having no luck.”

“Yes… And here is the last place we needed to look, meaning that...” Lysithea muttered, casting a concerned glance between the other three in the room.

“Neither Claude nor Byleth are in Garreg Mach any more.”


	4. In the wilderness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byleth and Claude stop for the night in the woods, and discuss the plans for the immediate future.

“I must admit... I’ve not felt like this before, Claude. These past few days have been... very eye-opening.” Byleth was crouched down by a bundle of dried wood and leaves, and was attempting to stoke a flame. “But I can imagine you have probably felt like this before.”

Claude, who was in the middle of feeding a fish Byleth had caught earlier to his wyvern, grinned as he glanced over at her. It was at that moment that there was finally a spark, and a campfire was started. “You know, you go on about all these feelings you’re having, but you never say _how _you feel, By. Why don’t you enlighten me on these ‘eye-opening' feelings?”

After another moment, Claude recovered the remaining fish before his wyvern could get to it, before moving to sit beside Byleth. Within minutes, they were cooking said fish over the campfire. It was only then that Byleth started to answer his question.

“I feel... well, even though my heart doesn’t beat, my pulse is racing. I feel as though I’ve done something so against the book, and it just makes me more excited and eager to continue.”

“Ah, the thrills of rebellion. You’ve only ever obeyed orders and requests in the past, haven’t you? You've gone against your very nature, and instead listened to your instincts...” Claude smiled, taking hold of her hand before looking up at the orange-tinted skies. “We've been gone for almost a day now... Do you think the others have noticed our absence?”

“... I can imagine so. Seteth for sure. I just hope they got the note we left behind on the door or my room. Otherwise, they’ll probably have search parties out by the end of tomorrow...” Byleth’s voice began to waver, the hesitation becoming clearer the longer she spoke. “I... don’t want to go back to Garreg Mach yet. Not if they want me to become leader of the Church and Fódlan.”

Claude squeezed her hand. “You know you’re going to get yourself tied up in leadership if you follow me to Almyra, right...?”

“But you will be with me... That’s not guaranteed here.”

“By...” Claude then shifted closer to her, and closed his eyes. “How about we make a deal then? You can have time to think about it… You come with me to Almyra. Help me out with leading and improving things there. In return, when I have done the more important tasks, and can leave things in the hands of my parents… We return here. And I help you with leading. But-”

“But you’ve got an ulterior motive, like, perhaps… A certain dream you speak of, about a peaceful world? And it would help if you’re close to the leader of Fódlan...”

“Wow, you can read me like an open book… But yeah. In a simple sense, yeah.”

For the next twenty minutes, Claude and Byleth were in silence as they ate. That was followed by them adding some more sticks and leaves to the campfire to keep the flames strong as the night grew cold. Once they were comfortable with the light and the warmth, they sat beside each other once more to look over a map.

Byleth was curious about three particular points which were marked out on the map, with some illegible writing around them. When Claude noticed her looking, he pulled out a pencil and began to explain to her what is going on. “We left from Garreg Mach and went northeast until we found this clearing in these woods. That would mean that we are, unfortunately, on the border of Daphnel and Gloucester territory. Hopefully we don’t encounter Judith or Lorenz’s father whilst here...” After he told her his thoughts about where they were, he fell silent for a moment, before continuing. “We will travel tomorrow so that we can reach Derdriu by evening tomorrow. We will be able to have a full meal and a comfortable rest before we continue on to Almyra. In addition to that, there’s something which I need to do when we’re there…”

Out of curiosity, Byleth tilted her head as he then scribbled out one of the notes he had written down. “I assume it has something to do with that messy scribble?”

“Hmm. Maybe. But it doesn’t matter, it’s just… a little something I want to do for my mother.”

“Okay, I won’t press any further.”

“Thanks, By...”

As Claude continued to look at his map, when Byleth realised that the third point other than Garreg Mach and Derdriu was Fódlan's Locket, Byleth reached for some of the supplies which they had brought with them. She pulled out a large blanket which they had brought, and smiled when she saw Claude yawn.

With a smile on her face, she sat down beside him once more, and pulled the blanket around both of their shoulders. Claude chuckled slightly, and put his arm around her waist as he continued looking at the map, planning their route for after Derdriu. Eventually, she also yawned, which is when Claude decided to roll up the map and pull Byleth onto his lap.

After a moment, he started to press his head against her shoulder, starting to pepper her skin with light kisses. “By, did I ever mention that I love you?” He then pressed another kiss onto her skin, however this time, it was where her ear met the top of her jaw, and perhaps more along the lines of a small bite. “Because I do. I’ve loved you since you were my Teach, but even more now that you’re mine...”

There was a light blush on Byleth’s face as she pulled the blanket around them both a bit tighter, bringing them a bit closer together than they previously were. “I love you too, Claude… But I’m not too sure about when I began to feel that way...”

“For all I know, you could have fallen in love with me at first sight. I was a _particularly _charming seventeen-year old then, after all.”

“As much as I want to tease you, I can’t exactly deny it...”

There was a smirk on Claude’s face as he then snaked his arms around Byleth’s waist, inducing a quiet sound from her as her face grew redder. However, that noise caught the attention of his sleeping wyvern, whose eyes were now wide open and staring straight at them.

“Oh relax, girl. We aren’t in danger and we’re certainly not doing anything more than cuddling under the blankets, not whilst it’s cold out...”

The wyvern snorted, before curling itself up into a ball once more and falling asleep.

And Byleth began to laugh.


End file.
